Daytime Nielsen Ratings: 2-Year W18-49 High For GH, 8-Month Total Viewer High for Y&R

The ratings are in for the week of October 14-18, 2013, and all four daytime soap operas were up. GENERAL HOSPITAL climbed to an over 2-year high in Women 18-49, while THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS delivered its largest weekly audience since last February. Check out a roundup of reports below:

From ABC:
GENERAL HOSPITAL climbed to an over 2-year high in Women 18-49 (745,000/1.2 rating) and delivered its 2nd-most-watched week in well over 2 years in Women 25-54 (960,000/1.6 rating) – since weeks of 9/26/11 and 8/15/11, respectively – ranking a solid #2 in the demos and was the #1 program for the 9th straight week in Women 18-34 (254,000/0.8 rating). Furthermore, it climbed to a six-month high in Total Viewers (2.821 million) – since week of 4/8/13.

GENERAL HOSPITAL improved over year ago levels by 11% in Women 18-49 (745,000 vs. 672,000) and by 17% in Women 25-54 (960,000 vs. 819,000).

From CBS:
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the #1 daytime drama, delivered its largest weekly audience since last February, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending Oct. 20.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS averaged 4.76 million viewers, its biggest since the week ending Feb. 10, 2013. In key women demographics, it averaged 1.9/12 in women 25-54 and 1.3/09 in women 18-49. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS ranked as daytime's #1 program in women 25-54 and women 18-49.

The rest of CBS's daytime lineup also registered week-to-week growth. THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL was up +8% in viewers (3.65m from 3.38m), +15% in women 25-54 (1.5/09 from 1.3/08), +38% in women 18-49 (1.1/07 from 0.8/06) and +40% in women 18-34 (0.7/04 from 0.5/03).

From SON:Total Viewers (versus previous week/versus same week last year)
1. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS 4,759,000 (+235,000/+257,000)
2. THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 3,653,000 (+275,000/+456,000)
3. GENERAL HOSPITAL 2,821,000 (+28,000/+40,000)
4. DAYS OF OUR LIVES 2,643,000 (+151,000/+165,000)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS 853,000 (+127,000/+13,000)
2. GENERAL HOSPITAL 745,000 (+10,000/+73,000)
3. THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 680,000 (+145,000/+66,000)
4. DAYS OF OUR LIVES 657,000 (+69,000/+144,000)

Women 18-34 Viewers
1. GENERAL HOSPITAL 254,000 (-31,000/-7,000)
2. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS 248,000 (+22,000/+27,000)
3. THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 223,000 (+70,000/+64,000)
4. DAYS OF OUR LIVES DAYS 206,000 (-1,000/+33,000)

It doesn't surprise me that Y&R ratings have gone up during the current storyline. While vocal critics on message boards will complain and threaten to stop watching, counter to that reaction will be occasional viewers who tune-in when something big happens for the promise of great performances (which the actors in this case are definitely delivering on). You'll also have look-i-loos out there who will watch simply to see what all the controversy is about. (I have one of those in my home!) Ironically, this phenomenon is not unlike people slowing down to see an accident on the side of the highway.

The bigger test, I think, comes in a month or so when we'll see if any of these occasional or seldom viewers have decided to stick around more regularly or longer-term and whether the current increase in viewership holds. - jmho

I would have been shocked if Y&R's ratings weren't up this week. It's the kind of story you can't look away from, at first. That's why show's do this. The long-term impact on stories like this is usually where the damage is done. Usually that doesn't come with a new head writing team so it will be interesting to see how the normal patterns play out while the new writers' stories are getting going.

Yes, it will be interesting to see what "the second wave" is from this story, if only because of the head writer change about to hit our screens. In some ways, it's similar to what happened on Y&R back in May 2005, when head writer, Jack Smith, killed off Cassie Newman. I remember when it occurred, Smith gave an interview (to SOD?) where he stated that the tragic event would not lead to another story of infidelity for Nick & Sharon. I believe he implied that he intended to write one about how a married couple deals with grief. Yet, within months there were rumblings of a regime change at Y&R, and by the end of that year Lynn Marie Latham had been named executive creative consultant and Nick's extramarital affair with Phyllis had begun.

I definitely agree with the Down the Road long term impact. As with Maureen Bauer's death, it provided some great dramatic scenes but the obvious vacuum the character's death left, really seemed pronounced in the lack of stability in the Bauers for years afterward. Toward the end, it seemed hard to believe that Bauers were ever the heart of the show. I wonder whether this is a possibility for the Abbotts years from now?